Apparatus for scrubbing and cooling gases for use in fumigating and fire-extinguishing and like purposes.



G HARKER.

APPARATUS FOR SORUBBING AND COOLING GASES FOR USE IN FUMIGATING AND FIRE EXTINGUISHING AND LIKE PURPOSES. APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 28,1913.

Patented July 14, 1914.

LlO fiO UNKTED STATES PATENTFF1UE GEORGE BARKER, OF PETERSHAM, NEAR. SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA,

ASSIGNOR TO THE BARKER FIRE EXTINGUISHER & FUMIGATOR COMPANY LIM- ITED, or SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.

APPARATUS FOR SCRUBBING AND COOLING GASES FOR USE IN FUMIGATING AND FIRE-EXTINGUISI-IING AND LIKE PURPOSES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 28, 1913. Serial No. 757,288.

use in such fumigation or in such fire-ex-.

tinguishing. A

Inmy priorUnited States Letters Patent No. 915,431, granted March 16, 1909, and 1,016,145 granted Jan. 30, 1912, as well as in my copending application filed Feb. 14:, 1911, Ser. No. 608,513,I have illustrated and described certain systems and apparatus for extinguishing fires, for destroying vermin, and for disinfecting and fumigating inclosed places, all of which are based upon the employment of the de-oxygenized prodnets of combustion in steam boiler or other furnaces,,wherein coal, hydro-carbon, or other combustible material is consumed, the products of combustion being either em ployed without addition or as a vehicle for the propagation and distribution of some active disinfectant and vermicide such as formaldehyde or carbon-bisulfid.

While a furnace or gas engine forms a very prolific source of carbon dioxid and other inert gases, which are highly efficacious for the purpose in View, its use is at tended with certain practical difficulties particularly concerned with the cooling and cleaning of the gases, these difliculties being enhanced by the necessity for employing a compact and simple apparatus which can be easily transported and economically used, and is a feature of particular importance in installations such as are used on shipboard. It is necessary before the gases can be admitted to living chambers, merchandise, storerooms, the holds of ships, and the like inclosed spaces that all smoke and dust be removed from the gases, that the gases have their temperature reduced to a reasonable degree, and that creosote, tar, and other easily condensing and noxious hydrocarbons ordinarily present he condensed and deposited prior to the use of the gases. Finally, the gases must be delivered to the place of use in a substantially dry condition.

All of the above requirements and others to'be hereinafter described are attained by the use of the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical cross sectional view illustrating the general construction and arrangement of my improved apparatus; and Fig. 2 is a horizontal cross sectional view taken upon the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and looking downwardly. The device, it will be observed, comprises, a plurality of vertically elongated laterally narrowed chambers connected alternately at the bottom and top so that the entering gases are forced to take a. tortuous passage therethrough, being cooled and washed by downwardly projected water sprays during their downward passage through one chamher being passed upwardly through suitable screens during their upward passage through a succeeding chamber, and being passed downwardly around suitable water deposition plates in the final chamber whereby entrained water may be removed prior to their discharge to the point of use.

In the embodiment here disclosed, an upright cylindrical casing 1 is provided having suitable bottom and top closures 2-2 and having an internal septum plate 3 whereby the cylinder is divided into two chambers a and I), the septum plate terminating a short distance from the bottom as SllOWllflt 4 so as to afford communication between the two chambers. Near the upper end of the chamber-c the wall of the cars: ing is formed with an inlet branch suitably connected to the funnelv 6 or other source of products of combustion, while a similar part of the chamber 7) is formed with an outlet 7 communicating with the chamber 0 wherein are placed the deflecting plates. Adjacent to the lower part of the chamber 0 an outlet passageway S is formed to which is attached the inlet duct 5) of a suitable fan or blower (not shown).

For the purpose of cooling and washing Patented July 14C, 1914.

' gases thoroughly with the water during the passage of the two through the pipes 12-12, vbut also to assist to some degree the action of the exhaust fan in withdrawing such.

gases from the stack 6. Beneath the ends of the pipes 1212 a plurality of inclined bafiie plates 1313 are preferably mounted for the purpose of removing from the gases the excess of water and also for mixing the partially cooled gases with the water vapor.

The gases now pass upwardly through the chamber 6 in which are mounted one or more gauze screens'lt which screens serve to separate out the tarry and other solid impurities remaining in suspension, and also to separate out the lampblack, dust, carbon particles, and other solid impurities remaining in suspension, and in addition to condense any vaporized combustion products not already condensed by thewater and deposited upon the bottom of the chamber. The lower portion of the screening chamber may, if desired, be furnished with a cold water spray jet 15 for the purpose of further reducing the temperature of the gases. The screens in the present embodiment con.- sist of semi-elliptical frames 16 filled with fine meshed metallic screen cloth and supported on suitable ledges 1717 attached to the chamber walls. While the shape of the screens is entirely unimportant, except as to causing the "screens to fill completely the compartment in which they are placed, their Y inclined position and the fact that'the gases pass through them from below upwardly is of great importance, as will hereafter be pointed out.

From the chamber 1) the gases pass by way of the aperture 7 to the chamber 0, the walls whereof are provided with inclined metallic deflecting plates 18'-18 so arranged 'asto cause the gases to take a tortuous course therebetween which shall cause the greater inertia of any water particles entrained in the gases to carry them out of the gas stream and so become deposited, and also to bring the gases into close proximity with cold metallic surfaces so that vaporized water may be condensed and deposited directly thereon. These plates are preferably terminated a short distance from the end walls of the chamber, as indicated at 19, in

therein to trickle down the walls of the chamber to the well 20 at the bottom thereof from whence it is discharged by the trapped overflow 21 to the bottom of the casing 1. This water, together with the water deposited directly within the first casing is discharged by means of the drainpipe 22, preferably trapped as at 23 to prevent the ad mission of air at this point.

lVith this apparatus the first mingling of the heated gases with the spray from the nozzles 10-10 causes a subsidence of a large part of the solid ashy and carbonaceous particles ordinarily present in the process of combustion, and a very sudden lowering of the temperature with an accompanying vav porization of water. A sufficient excess of water 1s lntroduced to prevent complete vaporization and to obtain a. more extensive cooling effect, a large part of this excess water being separated out by the baffles 13-13 which also serve to complete the mixing of the gaseous and liquid particles and further to throw the gases against the sides and bottom of the chamber whereby cooling effect is still further enhanced. The gases by this time by reason of their cooling are saturated with water vapor and upon being carried upwardly against the cool screens 141at a large part of this water vapor is deposited carrying with it the tarry, greasy and other obnoxious constituents of the burned gases, which frequently condense more thoroughly in the presence of water than they will do'alone. The inclination of these screens causes the condensed Water to flow downwardly across the same thereby washing away the deposited hydro-carbon particles thereon and keeping the screens always clear, while the deposition of condensed matters upon the bottom of the screen instead of upon the tops thereof mmnnlzes the clogging and adhering tendencies. The tortuous passage of the gas through the final chamber serves still furmg the passage of the gases through the fan or blower, as described and claimed in my prior Patent No. 1,016,145, hereinbefore nmntioned.

It will be understood that I may employ I as a source for the gases any suitable or convenlent place of combustlon such as a steam boiler, lnternal combustion engine, or even a special furnace designed solely for the 7 production of such gas. Also it will be understood that thenumber of chambers may be lncreased as much as desired, and that the number of such chambers that shall be employed for washing or for screening or for drying the gases may -be' varied in ac- I cordance with the condition of the gases as regards temperature, amount-of solid matter present andv amount of vaporized hydro:

carbon, or in View of the useto which the re sulting product is to be put. Finally it will be understood that while l have illustrated casings, etc., of la'peculiar shape I have adopted this shape merely because of the fact that it corresponds with the designlof apparatus heretofore employed by me and that any suitable'or desired design can be used. Accordlngly it will be understood that while I have described my invention in detail, I do not propose to be limited to such details, exceptvas the same may be posi-. tively included in the claims hereto annexed. or may be rendered necessary by the priorv state of .the art. I I

Having. thus described my invention, what I claim is I I 1. In an apparatus of the type described, the combinatiom'witha source of Waste combustion gases, of a group ofttubes through which said gases pass, spray jet disposed op-.-

posite each-of said tubes whereby an mspirating effect. upon-said-gases is produced and said gases are thoroughly'cooled and washed by water spray, a second chamber, gauze screening devices in said second chamber, and means for finally cooling the gases and extracting entrained water therefrom. g I

2. In apparatus of the type set forth, the combination, with a vertically elongated I chamber, of a group of elongated vertical tubes supported in said chamber, and spaced from both ends thereof, a plurality of down- I wardly directed water spray nozzles mount ed above said tubes and in substantial alinement therewith, a pluralitylof baflie plates supported opposite the ends of the tubes farthest from said nozzle, means for con- I necting'the end of said chamber nearest to said spray nozzles to a source of waste com way whereby the bustiongases, and means for condensing and separating entrained water and other materials from the gases after their passage by said bafile plates. .i

' '3. In apparatus of the type set forth, the

combination, with a chamber, of a; group of elongated tubes supported in said chamber.

andspaced from 'bothends thereof, a plu- 'rfalityfi-of ;.;wat erv spray nozzles mounted in alinementgwithwsaid tubes, a plurality of baflie plates supported opposite the ends of the tubes. farthest from said nozzle,v,means for connecting the end 'of-said chamber nearest tosaid spray nozzles toa -sourcepf waste 1 combust on gases, a chamber communicating with said first chamber and adapted to re- Y ceive the'gases after their passage by said ,bafile plates, and inclined overlapping metallic bafie pla'tesin said last mentlonedchamber and defining a tortuous. passageclosely in contact wlth coolmetal surfaces, portions of said plates adjacent to their free edges being upwardly turned to form troughs and the ends of said plates being formed to discharge liquid collected thereby. 4. Mechanism for purifying waste ,c0mbusti'on gases for use in disinfecting ships,

buildings, or other inclosed spaces, or in extinguishing fires, comprising, in combinat1on, a group of tubes communicating with a source'of waste combustlon gases, a plurality .of spray nozzles adapted and ar- Witnesses: (f). J. Wonrn,

W. E. Roenns. f

gases will be brought i GEORGE RKER 

